Casey Anthony – Triple Play

It was a huge day for Caylee and the State of Florida and a not so good day for the defense!

Dr. Schultz expertly placed Caylee’s remains in the woods for approximately six months and under water for a great deal of that time. The plant growth through the blanket, garbage bags and Caylee’s skull is irrefutable! Man on first!

Dr. G was excellent in defending her ruling of homicide. The total logic behind a child not being reported as missing, the remains being bagged and hidden in the woods, and no explanation for a child to have duct tape over their month had to have made even a skeptic take pause. Rounding third base!

Dr. Warren’s animation of Caylee’s picture superimposed over her skull to indicate the probable placement of the duct tape and how it, more than likely, cut of her airways must have had a profound effect on the jurors. Home run!

Today, we should hear from entomologist, Dr. Neal Haskell.

George and Cindy have returned to court. Casey looks gaunt and subdued.

Dr. Neal Haskell is called. He takes the jury through his education and experience. It’s a pretty hefty CV.

He’s been an expert witness in 28 state as well as around the world.

The court accepts Dr. Haskell as an expert witness.

Haskell was contacted by OCSO’s CSI Michael Vincent. Vincent sent him samples of maggots and pupae in September.

Haskell needed an adult of the fly species to properly do his job. That’s when he examined the towels and trash bag.

He identifies the box with the paper towels he received from Vincent.

There were hundreds of specimens and a colleague confirmed his finding, that the species are commonly found in decomposition.

The towels contained decomp fluid which attracted the flies. The material was sent to Dr. Vass. Vass reported back the material was adipocere.

Haskell then determined the timelines and temperature to do his analysis.

They found one leg of a blow fly. They are attracted to decomposition to all types – human and non-human. Blow flies appear at the earliest stage of decomposition.

If a body of a young child had been stored in the trunk of car and then later moved, would that confirm your findings? Yes.

Different insects will come in at different stages of decomposition. The various species found support the conclusion of the body being in the trunk and heat for a while.

Haskell says if the body was wrapped in a plastic bag or two it does tends to delay the appearance of the blow flies.

Haskell feels the body would have been in the trunk for a long time and would have been removed before the car was abandoned. 4 to 5 days is his estimate that Caylee was kept in the trunk.

Dr. Haskell went to Florida to inspect the car when he was notified Caylee’s remains had been found. He arrived in Florida on December 16.

He went to the Suburban Drive scene and the impound yard and spoke with Simon Birch. He collected specimens from Suburban and the ME’s office.

Bottom line, the remains were placed in the trunk quickly after death. Some specimens indicated 4 to 5 days into decomposition in the trunk. Others indicate the remains were in the woods from the June – July time frame and had to have contained body tissue when placed in the woods.

Pop Tart on cross…

You first heard about this case through Dr. Vass? Yes, I was talking to him on another case at the time he mentioned it.

Vass and Haskell have worked together for 25 years.

Dr. Vass is a biochemist? His degree is in anthropology.

Do you recall testifying he is a biochemist?

Objection. Sustained.

Oh God, the ever annoying flip chart and markers have appeared.

Baez keeps jerking around with it was a garbage bag, it was a trash bag and Dr. Haskell is having none of his clowning around.

DNA can be grabbed from any cell material? Yes, human DNA has been extracted from bugs and larvae.

Did you send any out for DNA testing? No, I didn’t.

You don’t know what the study Dr. Vass did found, except for what he told you? Correct.

You can’t testify intelligently about Dr. Vass’ study? I can testify intelligently!

Dr. Haskell clearly dislikes Baez and has no respect for him.

Phorid flies were found in the were found in the vacuum filters from when they vacuumed the trunk before removing the carpet.

So those flies could have fallen out of the trash bag? No, they were in the trunk.

So they could get into the trash bag, but not get out, like the roach motel?

Objection, sustained!

Btw, this is one of Pop Tart’s scientific drawings. How much do you think the jury gets from this? LOL!

You were hired by the State? Yes.

How much did you charge? $22k and by the way Mr. Baez, I haven’t been paid for the defense deposition!

Well, submit a bill. I did submit a bill!

Then the checks in the mail!

Redirect…

Is there a difference between garbage and trash? Yes, trash is inorganic and that’s all that was in the bag! There was nothing decomposing in the bag! There was no unprocessed food item.

So if decomposition was wiped up with the paper towel and then placed in the bag, would that explain the flies in the bag? Absolutely.

Recross…

Trash or garbage, that’s your opinion correct? Yes.

My definition could be different from yours? I’m sure it is.

Baez is asking questions that Haskell can’t even make sense of!

Dr. Haskell is excused.

Finally, recess is called!

Jennifer Welch is called by the State again.

You arrived at Suburban Drive to begin photographing the scene? Yes.

12/11 through 12/21 while you were photographing the scene, how many LE members were there? Around 50 I think.

It was difficult to walk on the surface because of the roots and heavy vegetation. They cleared the area using machetes.

Photos of the dense root systems and vegetation with evidence markers are entered into evidence.

Did you collect this marked bone for evidence? Yes.

Some 390 pieces of evidence were collected by her including bottles and pieces of black plastic bag and a piece of duct tape.

She also collected plastic pink strips with words that she identifies as the letters which came off Caylee’s shirt.

Cross…

How far from the edge of the street from the weed line? I don’t know, you would have to ask Mr. Murdock.

How far from the street to where the skull was found? 19’8″.

OMG, Baez makes her get down with a tape measure to show the distance to the jury.

The duct tape you found, where was it found? You would have to ask Mr. Murdock with the diagram.

The defense continues to try to get the body placed closer to the road and not so far into the woods.

Welch is excused.

Recess while some equipment is hooked up.

Ronald Murdock is called. He helped clear Suburban and mapping the crime scene. They use a program, Total Station, to enter the data of measurements and where the evidence markers were located to generate dimensional maps.

For some reason this is not being shown to us! While his computer screen works on the court monitors, it doesn’t work being streamed apparently.

From Suburban drive to area A is around 19 feet – we got that from Welch already.

December 11, 2008, he collected evidence from the Anthony home.

He identifies a photo of items in one of the sheds. Then the shed with all the lawn tools and the gas cans which were collected.

Pages of heart stickers are identified.

Pop Tart calls for a sidebar.

Photos of both Caylee and Casey’s bedrooms are admitted.

Murdock identifies a bag with Winnie the Pooh bedding and another bag of Pooh items from a drawer in the home office.

He also collected items from the garage – black garbage bag that contained a canvas laundry bag matching the one found with Caylee.

Pop Tart just has to get on camera to cross…

The diagram you showed us earlier showed the duct tape. How far away from the skull was that found? Some 6 1/4 feet away.

Did you find the tape in the garage also? No.

The Henkel brand wasn’t anywhere in the house that he knows of.

No duct tape in the attic? No.

Searched the back yard, the pool area and the sheds? Yes.

No duct tape found? None that I know of.

The gas can is the only item in the home is where you found Henkel duct tape? That’s correct.

You searched the family cars? Yes.

Murdock is excused.

Next witness is Gerry Johnston. Owner of firm who created the video animation of the crime scene – topographic mapping that was done for OCSO working with Murdock.

Thanks for working on Saturday. It’s clear where the defense is going now and it’s infuriating. They act like Casey moved out and never returned to the house. I do think she may have killed Caylee in the house.

Loved it when Dr Haskell embarrassed him by mentioning he has not paid the bill. That was perfect.Remind everyone that Baez is a deadbeat.

donchais

06/11/2011 at 3:14 pm

It was pretty funny! Haskell had Baez’s number!

ritanita

06/11/2011 at 3:19 pm

I have a feeling there was bad blood between Baez and Haskell going back in time in this case. Haskell made mincemeat of him and defended his “trusted colleague” Arpad Vass. Haskell did a fine job of bolstering the State’s theory of the case.

It will be interesting to see what his pupil, Dr. Timothy Huntington has to say for the defense.

kas

06/11/2011 at 3:29 pm

Baez’ drawings……. todays looked like an acorn with a circle. I wonder if he enters those into evidence?

One of the Lawyers on Nancy Grace the other night pointed out what a huge mistake (among others) it is for Baez to keep suggesting the supposed financial motivations of every single witness for the State. His main point: It wears thin, fast. Any point you might have made, you yourself erase.

That last sentence could be Baez’ personal motto.

donchais

06/11/2011 at 3:51 pm

Yeah ritanita, no love loss between Haskell and Baez. It will be interesting to Huntington.

kas, wasn’t that drawing a pip? I keep waiting for a witness to slip and ask Baez how much he made off Caylee!

The defense apparently wants to claim Casey left on the 16th of June and had no access to the garbage bags or the duct tape. TA DA! It must have been George. Never mind the shovel and the gas can incidents. I have two adult sons and one, in particular, had his problems; but if he ever tried to set up my husband or me like this, it would be over. I wonder if George and Cindy have had enough yet. Maybe they should have stayed for all of the trial. As painful as it would have been, maybe they would have had the full picture of the monster she is.

This is a bit off topic, but same case hahaha. Ok, I don’t believe Cheney Mason saw those videos of Casey and Law Enforcement at home and Universal Studio’s. If he had, I doubt he would allow Baez to even mention a drowning accident. This is so far fetched Baez doesn’t even believe he said that. Cheney Mason on the tail end of retiring and then taking on this case just for a name………. It’s shameful. I wouldn’t want my name attached to the Defense in this case for all the money you can fit into a garbage, or trash bag. I wish Dr Haskell was my hubby. I could talk trash with him all day. Or is that bugs? Oh well. Great article as usual.

donchais

06/12/2011 at 2:23 pm

Thanks, hon! The defense is but a joke, sad all the way around! However, it’s all on Casey!

tess

06/12/2011 at 8:30 pm

Don’t you just love the witnesses so far? The “just the facts” type of presentation and the professionalism is just great. No “aha” Baden type moments for these people. They know their stuff and have no wavering opinions. I just have to wonder if the defense experts will be just as definitive. If so, I bet the prosecution will be able to shoot holes in the testimony. I just hope that justice is done. It’s a shame that the defense had to make up a scenerio that forces yet more pain on people that are already experiencing a ripped up soul. Baez seems to me to have gone over the line and has defamed people and should be liable.

donchais

06/13/2011 at 5:15 am

tess, The State tore-up the defense experts at the Frye hearings!

I am actually looking forward to the defense putting on their case, it will be a primer on How Not To Defend A case!